01 January 2008

Restorative Justice -- Radio 4 on 2nd Jan

Tomorrow, from 8pm to 845pm, BBC Radio 4 has an interesting sounding programme called "Reality Check" that will look at restorative justice. Their lead guest will be Prof Lawrence Sherman, speaking in favour.

It gives victims the chance to tell offenders the real impact of their crime, to get answers to their questions and to receive an apology. It gives the offenders the chance to understand the real impact of what they’ve done and to do something to repair the harm. Restorative justice holds offenders to account for what they have done, personally and directly, and helps victims to get on with their lives.

Sherman: "Victims do generally feel more empowered if they meet their offender face to face, and there is a great deal of evidence to suggest they recover more quickly from post-traumatic stress disorder"